State school board member challenges tax plan opponents

Published: Sunday, October 26, 2003 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, October 26, 2003 at 7:56 a.m.

Republican state school board member David Byers Jr. is mad as ... a hornet and he isn't going to take it anymore. Last week after state school Superintendent Ed Richardson revealed options for local systems to adopt if funding goes south next year, Byers issued a challenge to opponents of Gov. Bob Riley's $1.2 billion tax plan that failed miserably at the polls on Sept. 9.

"The real thing people ought to challenge is those who said we don't need money," Byers said. "Call John Giles at the Christian Coalition and ask where we have money."

Giles opposed Riley's tax plan, saying the problem with schools is not a lack of money but lack of management.

School board member Ella Bell of Montgomery wondered how good management and no money will rid some of her schools in Lowndes County of raw sewage in their back yard because septic tanks are inoperative.

Quote of the Week

"There's not a recommendation I put on the table I like," state Superintendent Ed Richardson said when revealing options to save money next year. "But I have no choice."

Senators vote for ban

U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., voted for the partial birth abortion ban in the Senate last week.

"For many years we have debated and passed this bill in Congress," Shelby said in a statement. "I have cosponsored and supported this legislation to end partial birth abortions, and I am pleased that President Bush will soon sign this bill into law. The ban of partial birth abortion, which has been endorsed by the American Medical Association, will finally end this gruesome procedure."

Fight brewing over Medicaid funds

A major fight is brewing in the February legislative session over Medicaid funds. The Alabama Nursing Home Association is opposing Gov. Bob Riley's plan to cut Medicaid funding, which pays for nursing homes in Alabama for the poor. Riley wants to tighten Medicaid eligibility requirements in order to allow fewer people into state-paid nursing homes. (That means people will have to use more of their own income to live in a nursing home, not taxpayer money.)

Currently, a person is eligible for state-paid nursing home fees if they're 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Riley wants to lower that to 100 percent, or twice the federal poverty level, in order to slow the growth of Medicaid appropriations.

get could be cut by $200 million, an amount that could result in the loss of $600 million in federal money.

"The risks of accepting the administration's proposal are too great to ignore," Louis Cottrell Jr., executive director of the Alabama Nursing Home Association, said.

Fact of the Week

State school Superintendent Ed Richardson, who makes about $140,000 a year, is paid by federal, not state, funds. Local school superintendents are paid with local not state funds.

A curious ring

Last week's release of Highly Qualified Teacher percentages had a curious ring to it.

The Associated Press first reported that only 35 percent of Alabama's classes were being taught by highly qualified teachers, of which the state had 34 percent. It's real low. And that got Alabama school teacher union head Paul Hubbert to quickly respond that the report was an insult to Alabama teachers.

The AP story was based on information from the U.S. Department of Education. But the AP had to file a federal Freedom of Information Act request to get it. That means that someone wouldn't give a reporter a report and the reporter had to file a formal request under the law, which the department really couldn't refuse to honor. It turns out that the report wasn't released at first because it was incomplete.

State education officials hastily arranged a conference call to explain the report was based on incomplete data and, in fact, 91 percent of the teachers who had been checked were designated HQT. Being a Highly Qualified Teacher is a requirement for continued federal funding. It turns out the state education department didn't tell the U.S. education department that its data that showed 35 percent HQT were incomplete.

No one in the state is venturing a guess how many teachers eventually will be designated HQT.

<p>Republican state school board member David Byers Jr. is mad as ... a hornet and he isn't going to take it anymore. Last week after state school Superintendent Ed Richardson revealed options for local systems to adopt if funding goes south next year, Byers issued a challenge to opponents of Gov. Bob Riley's $1.2 billion tax plan that failed miserably at the polls on Sept. 9.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>"The real thing people ought to challenge is those who said we don't need money," Byers said. "Call John Giles at the Christian Coalition and ask where we have money."</p><p>Giles opposed Riley's tax plan, saying the problem with schools is not a lack of money but lack of management.</p><p>School board member Ella Bell of Montgomery wondered how good management and no money will rid some of her schools in Lowndes County of raw sewage in their back yard because septic tanks are inoperative.</p><h3>Quote of the Week</h3>
<p>"There's not a recommendation I put on the table I like," state Superintendent Ed Richardson said when revealing options to save money next year. "But I have no choice."</p><h3>Senators vote for ban</h3>
<p>U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., voted for the partial birth abortion ban in the Senate last week.</p><p>"For many years we have debated and passed this bill in Congress," Shelby said in a statement. "I have cosponsored and supported this legislation to end partial birth abortions, and I am pleased that President Bush will soon sign this bill into law. The ban of partial birth abortion, which has been endorsed by the American Medical Association, will finally end this gruesome procedure."</p><h3>Fight brewing over Medicaid funds</h3>
<p>A major fight is brewing in the February legislative session over Medicaid funds. The Alabama Nursing Home Association is opposing Gov. Bob Riley's plan to cut Medicaid funding, which pays for nursing homes in Alabama for the poor. Riley wants to tighten Medicaid eligibility requirements in order to allow fewer people into state-paid nursing homes. (That means people will have to use more of their own income to live in a nursing home, not taxpayer money.)</p><p>Currently, a person is eligible for state-paid nursing home fees if they're 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Riley wants to lower that to 100 percent, or twice the federal poverty level, in order to slow the growth of Medicaid appropriations.</p><p>State Medicaid Director Mike Lewis told legislators last week that the state's Medicaid bud-</p><p>get could be cut by $200 million, an amount that could result in the loss of $600 million in federal money.</p><p>"The risks of accepting the administration's proposal are too great to ignore," Louis Cottrell Jr., executive director of the Alabama Nursing Home Association, said.</p><h3>Fact of the Week</h3>
<p>State school Superintendent Ed Richardson, who makes about $140,000 a year, is paid by federal, not state, funds. Local school superintendents are paid with local not state funds.</p><h3>A curious ring</h3>
<p>Last week's release of Highly Qualified Teacher percentages had a curious ring to it.</p><p>The Associated Press first reported that only 35 percent of Alabama's classes were being taught by highly qualified teachers, of which the state had 34 percent. It's real low. And that got Alabama school teacher union head Paul Hubbert to quickly respond that the report was an insult to Alabama teachers.</p><p>The AP story was based on information from the U.S. Department of Education. But the AP had to file a federal Freedom of Information Act request to get it. That means that someone wouldn't give a reporter a report and the reporter had to file a formal request under the law, which the department really couldn't refuse to honor. It turns out that the report wasn't released at first because it was incomplete.</p><p>State education officials hastily arranged a conference call to explain the report was based on incomplete data and, in fact, 91 percent of the teachers who had been checked were designated HQT. Being a Highly Qualified Teacher is a requirement for continued federal funding. It turns out the state education department didn't tell the U.S. education department that its data that showed 35 percent HQT were incomplete.</p><p>No one in the state is venturing a guess how many teachers eventually will be designated HQT.</p>